Southern California -- this just in

Man dies of rabies from bat bite in Contra Costa County

October 5, 2012 | 1:01
pm

A 34-year-old man died in Switzerland over the summer from
rabies contracted from a bat in Contra Costa County -– the first death rabies death traced to the county in nearly 20 years, officials announced Friday.

The man, whose name has not been released, became ill before
leaving the United States to work overseas. He died in a hospital in July, according to Contra Costa Health Services.

Tests later confirmed rabies as the cause of death. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified of the death in late
August and launched an investigation. It concluded the man had probably been
infected in March after touching a bat in southern Contra Costa County, said
Erika Jenssen, head of Contra Costa Public Health’s communicable disease program.

“Tragically, this man
died from rabies,” Jenssen said in the statement. “It’s critical that people
who have been bitten by bats or wild animals seek medical attention
immediately.”

Three bats tested positive for rabies in the county this
year. Last year in California, 211 of 223 animals that tested positive for
rabies were bats, said Curtis Fritz, state public health veterinarian with the
California Department of Public Health, in a statement.

In its last fatal rabies case, a man who
had been bitten by a rabid dog in Mexico traveled to Contra Costa County, where he became sick
and died, in 1993.